Making Article 370 inoperable is valid

The present NDA government, taking the steps to make the present provisions (which are the diluted set from the original article as passed in 1950) of Article 370 inoperable, has said that they are taking the action on the basis of what is permitted in law. I agree with this assessment.

At the same time, there are some who say the actions are illegal.

The moot point, to my mind, is whether what is done is the right thing to do or not.  For example, the law today states that a girl should be at least 18 years old, and a boy at least 21 years old, before she or he can get married. Prior to this law, the underage marriages were considered legal. The law was changed because it was the right thing to do.

The opposition to Article 370 existed among the people of Jammu and Ladakh ever since it was inserted in the Constitution. The primary group that supported the article were the Sunnis from the Kashmir Valley. And it is this group that the separatists and terrorists came from. Also, the two or three families that controlled the politics of the whole state also came from this group. And these separatists, and these families, have been indulging in creating all sorts of problems not just in the Valley but also in Jammu and Ladakh.

The worse than step-motherly treatment that these two latter regions have been treated by the ruling families from the Kashmir Valley have been well documented. And they were able to do this because of the provisions (however diluted) that existed prior to August 5, 2019.

It is necessary to mention that the separatists and the two or three families have enriched themselves hugely, and also ensured that their children are ensconced safely outside the Valley, while paying some youngsters to indulge in stone pelting, etc. And they project the terrorists controlled by Pakistan as some sort of genuine freedom fighters.

Because the abrogation of Article 370 was the right thing to do, Anand Mahindra (a businessman in India) tweeted: “There are some decisions, which when taken, evoke the reaction ‘Why couldn’t this have happened earlier?’ Today’s decision falls in that category.”

And Jyotiraditya Scindia, a senior Congress leader broke ranks with his party and has supported the government move.

 

The author belongs to a business family with headquarters in Goa. He is also the Working President (External) of Vishwa Hindu Parishad

Picture courtesy: Wikipedia